Hook-grip results in less ability to 'keep it tight' everwhere else?

[Músculo-Tonto]

I feel as if my back is rounding after the bar leaves the floor -- (This would also explain why the bar seems to drift away slightly from my shins as well.)

The ability to keep my back tight changed slightly after I started using Hook-grip for dead-lifts. I've still been able to pull off the reps/sets of Weeks 1-13 (Andy's KISS routine; Cycle 3, current), but my concern is that this may cost me anywhere from 10-20lbs when I attempt a new 1RM PR. (No non-perfect form forgiveness for those, right?)

Note1: For Cycle2 (previous), I used mixed grip for the entire session, once DOH was no longer sustainable. This was not an issue.
Note2: There is no trouble in maintaining the link between the finger and thumb; the Hook itself is not opening up.
Note3: Even in the lighter sessions of this cycle (4x4/3x3 weeks), while using Hook-grip I had to put forth a little extra concentration to make sure I didn't pull a Phil Anderson@622. (The legs had a tendency to not want to make that final 5 degrees to lockout this time around.)

Has anyone else experienced this -- Since Hook-grip does not allow you to squeeze the bar as effectively/tightly as mixed-grip, the result is a (slight) lowering of the tightness across the rest of you?

Thanks,
-Jeremy

[Tom K]

I switched to / learned hook while taking a bunch of weight off and working on flattening my back. Back is still a work in progress but the hook grip didn't make me less tight.

It makes sense that you've changed a big part (IMO) of your set up with your grip so you may need to relearn some of the muscle memory. The same could be said for changing stance, width, etc. etc. Might just need a few sessions to dial it in.

Trusting the hook grip and lack of bar squeeze takes some getting used to.

[Músculo-Tonto]

Interesting.

It was a big change. This Cycle is the first/only occurrence in 3.5 years that I ceased to use mixed-grip. My first H-G pull was at 3 plates/side, so that part of your comment caught my eye. I never 'learned-from-light' how to do it. I may have to do this practice-work. However, I must pull my new PR(s) in less than 48 hours, and I'm currently in rest mode -- no more loading at all. Would pulling mixed-grip for the PRs be advisable? (I know that any suggestions taken are my own responsibility).

[Tom K]

While learning, I hooked everything from warm-ups on up to work sets. More practice was my reasoning.

Pull your PRs with mixed and then learn hook / how it feels from the ground up. That's what I would do.

[marcf]

Did you check to see if you were actually rounding? You said you feel as if your back is rounding, but you didn't say that you actually saw it in a video or have a coach check for you.

The reason I ask is I feel the same exact thing. Since I can't squeeze the bar as hard, it feels like I can't set up as tight. BUT the big difference is that I'm not actually getting more rounded over even if it feels like it.

Feels are lies.

In this video, I'm pulling 375x3 and I could feel my grip slipping after the first rep. So for the second and third rep, I switched to hook grip. It definitely changes the feel of the pull a little because if you have larger hands or fairly long fingers, the bar location at your lockout could be an inch or more lower than it would be with a DOH grip. But as you can see, ugly as these deadlifts are, my back didn't get any more round as a result of using a hook grip.

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

Hi M-T,

I've always pulled hook, from the very beginning, so I don't have anything to compare my pulls to.
I know I've had a couple of periods when the bar would move away from me at the start, but every time it was a matter of setup, not tightness.
What I have noticed is that a hook grip seems to require more attention to be properly squeezed. Let me try to explain.

When I do chins, I have a classic overhand grip; I need to really squeeze the hands to grip the bar, and that is never an option; if you try to chin with a 'floppy' or less than committed grip, you are not getting up.

For deads though, especially ligther ones, the same thing does not apply; a hook grip is, up to a point, inherently strong. Even if you are not consciously squeezing hard, the friction between fingers and the position of the thumb will enable you to pull the bar.

IMHO this means that, on long training programs, you get somewhat 'used' to a looser, more relaxed grip; then the PR week comes, and you realise that you are not tight as you would like.
The solution, at least for me, is to always pay attention to the grip, and consciously, voluntarily squeeze the hell out of the bar ("leave your fingerprints on it"). The act of volitionally gripping the bar tight will probably help in making everything else tight as well.

Hope this helps,

IPB

[Bryan Dobson]

I have been switched over to the hook for so long that I can say no, I do no feel I lack tightness.
Getting the set up and volational tightness in the erectors and trunk is a product of intention in practice. You have to have an intention to get very tight for every rep. You practice this process for long enough and tightness becomes more automatic as a product of that kind of practice. But the practice and intent is the process you should focus on, not the pr. The pr is a conclusion you know is coming from your inputs, no doubt.
Hook grip, mixed or straps, you still have to intend to get tight For the efficient transfer of energy from you separating the floor away from the bar. Have an intention, film performance , make volational corrections as neccesary and repeat.